🔗 Share this article The English along with Welsh Placed in the Same Group for the 2027 World Cup Down Under The group draw was overseen by sporting icons such as former All Black Dan Carter. The English side and Wales will face off in an identical group for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, promising a highly-anticipated early clash in Australia. They are joined in Group F by Tonga and the Zimbabwean Sables. This draw echoes their memorable meeting in the pool stages of the 2015 World Cup, where Wales' victory at Twickenham contributed to the English team's surprise group stage elimination. Other Notable Pool Pairings The Irish alongside Scotland also share a pool once again, replicating the situation from the France 2023 tournament. On that occasion, they claimed a convincing victory, with their opponents failing to advance to the knockout stages. Los Teros and Portugal, who each impressed as underdogs in France, round out that Pool D. Significantly, the victors of both Pool D and Pool F cannot meet defending champions and top-ranked the Springboks until the showpiece match, presuming the Springboks win their assigned pool. Tournament Ramifications If the groups play out according to the current global standings, other top favourites like New Zealand and Les Bleus would also be kept apart from the likes of England and the Irish until the final. In that scenario, Los Pumas would be the other top-ranked nation on the same side of the elimination bracket as England and Ireland. Tournament Hosts Face Blockbuster Fixture Tournament hosts the Wallabies find themselves alongside their great rivals and triple champions the All Blacks in Group A. The Wallabies will kick off the World Cup in Perth on 1 October 2027 in a blockbuster fixture aimed at jump-start the event. Elsewhere, reigning champions South Africa have drawn the Azzurri, the Lelos and the Oaks. The French team are grouped with the Brave Blossoms, future hosts the USA and Samoa. Expanded Format for 2027 Argentina will face Fiji, Spain and the Canadian team as the World Cup grows to 24 teams from the 20 who competed in France. The 2027 tournament will feature a round of 16 round for the very first time in the competition's history. While the victor of Pool F may avoid some of the rugby's heavyweights early on, they will have to face the second-placed team from Group B – most likely the Italians – in the first knockout round. Four of the remaining six group winners will face a third-placed side from the initial group phase. RWC 2027 Groups Pool A New Zealand Australia Chile Hong Kong Pool B South Africa Italy Georgia Romania Pool C Argentina Fiji Spain Canada Pool D Ireland Scotland Uruguay Portugal Pool E France Japan USA Samoa Pool F England Wales Tonga Zimbabwe